


close encounters

by foreverstudent



Series: we two, begin (again) [3]
Category: DBSK | Tohoshinki | TVfXQ | TVXQ
Genre: Complicated Friendships, Gen, Homin - Freeform, YunJae
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-17
Updated: 2020-05-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:35:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24230680
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foreverstudent/pseuds/foreverstudent
Summary: Yunho and Jaejoong will be at the same military festival. Changmin is less than happy.
Relationships: Jung Yunho & Shim Changmin, Jung Yunho/Shim Changmin
Series: we two, begin (again) [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1748920
Comments: 3
Kudos: 45





	close encounters

Changmin is in a mood. A permanent dark cloud hovers over his face, and he snaps at anyone who comes near. While this demeanor might favor him during the drills that they are pushed to go through every sun-up and sun-down, it does nothing for the friendships that he is supposed to be building during his service. The younger police recruits stay far away from him, and even his commanding officers are wary. Even Donghae and Siwon keep their distance, throwing knowing glances at Changmin and at each other.

And Changmin knows that they know, knows that the Super Junior group chat is probably exploding every night when they are allowed to use their phones again, the lines between army base and Seoul police station ablaze with rapid texts of surprise and apprehension. 

And it's not just Super Junior. The whole nation now knows, and Changmin is one of those who knew from the cursed media articles that _of course_ put their pictures right next to each other, complete with short juicy paragraphs referencing TVXQ, JYJ, and the split that never really left the nation's mind. Some of the articles dig up pictures of the five before the split, and Changmin's own innocent face seems to mock him from the screen of his phone. 

More than anything else, Changmin is incensed that he had to find out from the trending hashtags just like every ordinary citizen, as though he was a fan and not an idol. He suspects that Donghae and Siwon knew before him, from the pitying looks and pats on the back they gave him after a particularly long call between the two of them and Hyukjae on the other line. He was confused until he opened his phone. 

He waits all night for the message that doesn't come, the call that never rings. He surrenders his phone the next morning the way they always do, but no collect calls from an army base come during the day. When he frantically turns on his phone again that night, nothing greets him.

Donghae notices his distress and takes pity on him. "If it's any help, Hyukjae says Yunho-hyung is only emceeing," Donghae says gently. Changmin clenches his fists, because that _is_ a small consolation, that someone in the army apparently has a brain and did not put U-Know Yunho and JYJ Jaejoong together in one performance, no matter the audience donations that would have drawn. 

"Thanks, hyung," he finally grunts. Donghae sits down beside him and claps him on the back sympathetically. "It'll be fine, Changmin-ah," he says, well-meaning. "It's only one festival."

Changmin freezes and has nothing to say to that, but Donghae doesn't notice and leaves him to prepare for lights out. Hours later, lying in the dark, unable to sleep, Changmin gives up and finally texts first.

_Hyung, are you awake?_

The answer comes three minutes later. _Yes._

Changmin doesn't hesitate any longer and presses call, putting in his earphones so as not to disturb his sleeping dormmates. Yunho answers on the second ring. 

"Changminnie. I have early drills tomorrow," is the first thing that comes out of Yunho's mouth, fond and gently scolding, but Changmin can't help but feel relieved just at the sound of his hyung's voice. The tension that he had been carrying the whole day bleeds out of his body, and he closes his eyes.

"Min? Changmin-ah?" Yunho says again, questioning. Changmin can hear the worry now. "Hello?"

"I'm here," Changmin whispers, careful not to wake his snoring dormmates.

"You should be asleep," Yunho says immediately. Changmin just scoffs. "Can't."

"Why not?" Yunho asks, and a few seconds of silence tick by, the unspoken conversation stretching across invisible lines, until Yunho finally sighs. 

"Changminnie. It's just one festival." Unless Changmin is imagining it, there is definitely an ounce of guilt there. And wouldn't that be just like self-sacrificing U-Know Yunho.

"Why does everyone keep saying that?" Changmin snaps back, regretting it immediately. Yunho stays quiet for a few seconds, enough for the unintended anger between them to evaporate into thin air. He knows Changmin's moods by now, can chart them and ride them out like the weather. Changmin takes a deep breath to calm down. 

"Because it's true," Yunho soothes. "It is just one festival. I'm just the MC." 

And Changmin scoffs again, because clearly his hyung is taking him for a fool. "I _have_ seen festivals before, hyung. I know exactly what the MC does." The sarcasm drips from his voice like poison, but Yunho doesn't take the bait. _He’ll be on stage for every performance. He’ll be able to watch from a front row seat. He’ll have to introduce them, say his name, look towards him in the spirit of festivity._ Despite his more rational self, Changmin feels an unexplainable fear rise up in his chest. 

"Why didn't you tell me?" Changmin forges on ahead, entering the minefield. He can almost hear the helpless shrug in Yunho's shoulders as he answers. 

"I'm sorry, Changmin-ah. I...I didn't think you'd want to know this much."

Changmin gets the sudden urge to throw his phone against the wall, frustrated at his stubborn and oblivious hyung. "Well, I did," he fires back. "But guess what, hyung?" he sits up in bed, the cement wall cool against his back. "I had to find out on the internet.” More spite enters his voice, and Changmin heightens his tone in a mocking imitation of paparazzi headlines. “ _Gods of the East finally meet! TVXQ Yunho and JYJ Jaejoong to appear in military festival! First public encounter between the two since the split!_ ”

Changmin can go on to quote whole paragraphs, the news articles of today and years ago blurring and blending in his mind. "Why didn't you tell me, hyung?" he repeats, voice thick. 

Yunho, in Changmin’s opinion, is far too forgiving. Changmin, in Yunho’s opinion, is far too overprotective. This is their curse. 

On the other end of the line, Yunho sighs. “I’m sorry.”

Changmin closes his eyes, clutches his phone as the apology echoes in his ears. 

“Changmin…” Yunho starts again, and Changmin can recognize that voice, soft and warm and full of promises, used so often to calm down a crying maknae. But he is not 21 anymore, this is not 2009, and yet —

“Talk to me, Changdola,” Yunho pleads, the nickname cushioning the hurt. “I don’t know what you’re thinking.” He has never understood Changmin — not fully and completely, anyway. His maknae continues to surprise him everyday, like a lesson that he continues to gratefully learn. But Changmin — Changmin can read his hyung like an open book. 

But even Changmin doesn’t understand himself. He can understand — they are all in the service now, there are military festivals, this is to be _expected —_ and yet, and yet…

Changmin swallows. “It—it’s nothing, hyung. I’m sorry, you should go back to sleep.”

He can practically see the change in Yunho’s face from the tone of his voice. “Changmin.” This time it’s firm, and unyielding. “Come on, tell me. Please.” _Damn it._

After the split, after everything, after they had all taken time to come to terms with their wounds, Yunho alone had tried to offer olive branches to the other three, promising friendship despite legal barriers. Changmin had let the distance be, had accepted it as an outcome of choice, a natural course. 

“I’m scared,” he says finally, whispering. On the other end of the line, Yunho strains to hear, but keeps quiet.

“I’m scared of what the media will say, what the fans will think, what the company might do…but most of all I’m scared for you. I miss you, hyung,” Changmin finally confesses. And he knows he is being foolish, knows that a small meeting between the two will probably change nothing, knows that the two have probably even kept in contact after all these years — but he wishes he could still be there, to make sure Yunho doesn’t get hurt again. 

“I miss you too, Changminnie,” Yunho finally says, fond and amused. “I’ll be fine. We’ll be on base, you know. The safest place in Korea,” he chuckles, but Changmin isn’t laughing. 

“You know what I mean,” Changmin says, ignoring the joke. Yunho sighs. “Min. Nothing will happen. Nothing to me, nothing to TVXQ. I promise.”

“I don’t want you to get hurt again,” Changmin blurts out, and the words rush together so fast that Yunho barely catches them, and is still struck dumb. Not for the first time, Yunho is amazed yet again at his dongsaeng’s care. 

“Changminnie…”

“I don’t know what will happen with the two of you together. I’m not there. I—hyung…” Changmin can actually feel his breath quickening, the irrational panic threatening to overwhelm his senses. Thousands of kilometers away, Yunho clutches his phone tighter and attempts to calm down his maknae. 

“Min, breathe. Please,” Yunho begs, cursing the distance that separates them. 

Changmin tries to follow, holds on to the concerned voice of his hyung counting out his breaths for him, until his lungs expand and his heart rate slows. 

“Changmin. I promise you, after all this, I will still come back to you. We’ll come back together as TVXQ. I promise.” And Changmin holds on to that, because even with his incoherent babbling, Yunho has magically somehow managed to get to the root of his fears. 

Changmin nods, even though he knows Yunho can’t see, and takes a big breath in and out. “Okay,” Yunho says. “Go to sleep, Changmin-ah.”

Changmin slides down in bed and makes himself comfortable. “Are you in bed?” Yunho asks. 

“ _Deh,_ eomma,” Changmin says, his sarcasm covering up for his outburst. Yunho, to his credit, takes it in stride. 

“Drink water. Take your vitamins,” Yunho says seriously, playing along, and Changmin has to stifle a laugh because when has Yunho ever told him to take his vitamins? It’s always been the other way around. 

“And Changmin?” Yunho adds. “Yes, hyung?” Changmin answers, eyes already half-closed, the exhaustion finally catching up to him. 

“Don’t enjoy too much with Super Junior,” his hyung says lightly, but Changmin can hear the undercurrent of fear that probably mirrors his own, and immediately feels guilty too. His desire to join Super Junior was never serious, but he privately resolved then and there to never say it again even as a variety show joke. At the other end of the joke, he reflected, it wasn’t so funny. 

“I promise too, hyung,” Changmin answers back finally, and Yunho can hear the unspoken words, an echo of the ones he has just declared. The two of them at yet another crossroads, this time holding on to promises across distance. 

“Good night, Changminnie,” Yunho says finally. “Sleep well. I’ll see you soon.” 

“Good night, hyung,” Changmin finally says, ending the call. 

In a rare moment of benevolence, partly as a way to allay his own irrational fears, Changmin scrolls through his contact list and gazes at the number he shouldn’t have, but he does anyway, the result of a nosy hyung adding it to his contact list “just in case.” Just in case Changmin would like to forgive, to set aside the years and the hurt, to make a new start. Sighing, Changmin starts to text.

_Jaejoong-hyung, this is Changmin. Yunho-hyung gave me your number. Enjoy the festival, and take care of Yunho hyung for me._

Exhaling, Changmin lets go, and simply hits send, switching off his phone before he can get a reply. It’s not forgiveness or friendship (not yet), but maybe it could be a start. 

* * *

_Bonus scene:_

The night after the festival, Changmin gets a call from a very exasperated hyung. 

“What did you tell Jae?” Yunho asks him immediately when Changmin answers. “What?” Changmin asks innocently.

“What. Did. You. Tell. Jae.” Yunho repeats, irritation bleeding out of every syllable. “Why, what happened?” Changmin asks back, curious.

“He was following me all day!” Yunho explodes. “Offering to carry my things, giving me water, pushing me under the shade when the sun got too hot. I bet the fans had a field day,” his hyung continues, seething. 

Changmin laughs. Jaejoong-hyung must have read his text and taken it to heart. “Why are you laughing?” Yunho accuses, irritation dying down. “Weren’t you worried about this?”

Changmin shrugs. Yes, he was, and he hasn’t been online yet but he can bet the pictures and videos are especially incriminating. But Yunho had promised, and Yunho always kept his promises. That was good enough for him. That was worth more than any fear he might have. 

“I was,” he admits. “But I figured that if I wasn’t there, I’d just enlist Jaejoong-hyung to do what I would do for the day,” he chuckles.

“Jae never could resist you,” Yunho moans. “Brat.”

“What else are maknaes for?” Changmin fires back happily. “Not much except ordering their hyungs about, apparently,” Yunho mutters under his breath, and Changmin laughs louder. 

“Bye, hyung, I have to check the pictures on the internet,” Changmin says cheekily, ending the call before Yunho can get another word in. 

Still smiling, Changmin scrolls through the websites ablaze with Yunho-Jaejoong pictures, videos, and edits, and finally he sends another text. 

_Thanks, hyung._

Two minutes go by before he gets a reply. 

_Anytime, maknae._

**Author's Note:**

> Idk where the five stand now in terms of friendship, so I made a few character assumptions. Whatever they feel now, I hope they’re happy. 
> 
> Regarding that military festival, I think there are a few fan pics and vids that showed them talking with each other’s families and Jae really following Yunho around haha.


End file.
